Evolution is the belief that all the majesty and complex design of the physical world and living things came into existence without a creator God through small changes over billions and billions of years. Humanists are people who believe in evolution and reject the idea of God as creator. They hold the idea that humanity and society are both progressing upward toward perfection.
If all living organisms started from one original cell then everything is gradually becoming more and more complex and each subsequent organism is more evolved than the previous.
This view is also taken of history, which humanists believe is evolving toward perfection, meaning that people and societies started simple and are becoming more complex. Eventually, as mankind continues to evolve people will become perfect.
The biblical view is that man started at perfection and is deteriorating or moving downward and falling apart. Because of the Fall everything in creation is deteriorating. Mankind is not evolving to a higher state of behavior; it has fallen to a lower one. Without evil being kept in check, people will become increasingly worse.
If creation was a real event then both physical and historical evidence should support the account recorded in the Bible. Let’s think about the history of mankind and how it started out. We can do that by reviewing some of the things we have studied so far. Genesis 1:27 says, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;
God created Adam in his image and said that his creation was very good. That means Adam had the necessary mind and abilities to live well and rightly. He would have been brilliant as he would have had a perfectly functioning brain and used it fully. He would have understood the natural laws God put in place at creation and the function and purpose of all things God created. However, even being brilliant didn’t stop him from rebelling against God. From the beginning man has chosen to go his own way apart from God. Very smart people can do very wrong things.
Genesis 2:19-20 says, Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.
From the beginning Adam had language. He interacted and talked with God. He had the ability to name all the animals. He could pass on information using a complex language. He didn’t make cavemen grunts. In fact ancient languages are known to be more precise and complex than modern ones.
Genesis 2:8-9 says, Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground–trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
In the beginning the world (environment) Adam and Eve lived in was perfect and provided everything they needed to live forever. Even after the Fall, it was still good compared to what we experience now.
Scientists can tell from the evidence of fossils that in the past plants and animals grew to great sizes. This can be attributed to different factors, two of which would have been more oxygen in the atmosphere and greater air pressure. In the beginning earth was a very good place to live. It was a healthy environment for people which contributed to long life.
We have learned that Cain was a farmer and Abel was shepherd. They weren’t simple hunters and gatherers. More about them and early people can be learned from reading about Adam’s line. Genesis 4:17 says, 17Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.
Cain building a city shows that the society was complex and interdependent. Cain had organizational, engineering and construction skills.
The account goes on to tell of Cain’s descendants and their occupations.
Genesis 4:18-22
18To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech. 19Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. 20Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 21His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play the harp and flute. 22Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.
The society of Adam’s descendants was diversified, complex and sophisticated. Not everyone was involved in agriculture and farming methods were advanced enough to support a city. There was music and culture and they used metal tools.
In terms of personal character, the line of Cain continued in the evil pattern Cain had established.
Genesis 4:25-26
23Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. 24If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.”
Lamech was a proud and violent man who had no respect for the value of human life. He reflected the character of the man he was descended from and the condition of the society he lived in. He thought he was his own person and could do what he wanted. He didn’t see himself as being accountable to God. He had no fear of God.
The line of Adam that can be traced down to Noah and on to Jesus began with the birth of another son, Seth. 25Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” 26Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.
Seth and his son called on God. They had a relationship with their Creator. Cain and his son did evil.
As we study the history of mankind, we need to keep in mind how the character of the parents affects their children. Psalm 112:1-2 says, Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Cain’s descendants followed his ungodly character and died out while Seth’s line called on the name of the Lord and led to Jesus. The way that parents live influences the direction their children choose to go. That is something you need to consider as you have children. You need to think about what kind of person you want to become and what kind of heritage you want to pass on to your children.
The pattern for your adult life is in large part be set in place when you are a child. What you choose to believe and follow as a child either puts you on a path leading to God or away from God. Only the path going to God leads to blessing. You need to consider carefully which path you are following.
- Overview Questions: What kind of occupations did men have in the beginning? What was the difference between Cain’s offspring and Seth’s offspring? How does the way parents live their lives affect their children?
- Thought Questions: What is the definition of evil? Why do you think Cain wanted to follow evil? What is it about evil that attracts people? What do people who reject evil and go God’s way recognize?
- Prayer: Thank God that he is both the creator and sustainer of the earth. Thank him that even though men reject him he is loving and long-suffering. Thank him that you can trust his Word even when others reject him. Pray that as you study history you will learn more about how important it is to follow God and his truth and that you would want to stay on God’s path.
- Memory Verse: Psalm 112:1-2
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
What is the impact of an upright father?
The children of the righteous will be blessed.